Sanitation Supplies?

[johndeere]

I'll be bottling in a few days and had a few quick questions on cleaning and sanitizing.

What is the best to sanitize bottles with. I have a bottle sanitizer you push the bottle down onto and it sprays solution up into the bottle.

I'll be using my dishwasher as a bottle tree this first time around. Would a simple all purpose cleaner with bleach be good enough to sanitize the rack?

I have the Ale Pale. What should I use to sanitize the bottling bucket with?

Once the fermenter is empty, what should I use to clean and sanitize that with.

Currently I have a powdered mix called Easy Clean that came with my kit. The directions on that read to soak for two minutes. I wasn't sure if that was OK for everything or was there something better out there. I see there's an Iodorfor and Star San and One step.... What sanitizers are most appropriate for what step.

I have a big enough sink I can soak most everything in, but I'd rather not waste all that solution on soaking the bottling bucket. I wouldn't mind having something I could just spray onto or into a surface and be done with it.

 

[Bubba]

StarSan is what I use it works practically on contact and can be used over and over. Dont fear the foam.

 

[ChshreCat]

+1 on Starsan. It's a no-rinse sanitizer and works on contact. So, you can use a small amount of it to make up a spray bottle and just spray things down with it. No need to have a big volume of it to dunk things in. That's especially good if you're using your dishwasher rack to put your bottles on because you can spray it down too. A spray bottle last me weeks or months depending on how often I brew.

 

[TipsyDragon]

the dishwasher is good for washing the outside of the bottles. the inside of the bottles are a different matter. the water jets can not get up into the bottle to clean it. but as long as the bottles are clean to begin with and you clean them out right away after use it shouldn't be a problem. the heat and steam from the dishwasher's dry cycle will be enough to sanitize the bottles inside and out.

sanitize the bucket with StarSan. it is non-toxic in proper dilution and you can even brew with the stuff ( i have not done this but its what i've heard). to clean an empty fermenter use a something like Oxyclean or PBW. if its a plastic bucket be careful not to scratch the inside of the bucket.

if you follow the instructions on the sanitizers and the items are properly clean they are good for the entire sanitation process.

StarSan can be used in a spray bottle. It even says so on the label. just check its PH to make sure its still in the good range. which is below 3PH.

 

[jeffmeh]

Since no one has mentioned it, Star San is a sanitizer, not a cleaner. You need to clean before you sanitize, as Star San will not penetrate debris. One-Step was originally marketed as a cleaner and sanitizer, but it is really a cleaner and not a sanitizer. Many have used One-Step as both, but it is easy enough to sanitize after, so I would not recommend it. What I would recommend is using the One-Step as a cleaner until it runs out, then getting some Oxiclean Free (at Target, Walmart, or wherever) to use as a cleaner. A hot Oxiclean soak will usually clean even the nastiest dried out krausen in a fermentor. Star San is an excellent sanitizer, so stick with it.

 

[TipsyDragon]

good point jeffmeh. didn't think to make the point that a cleaner is not a sanitizer and a sanitizer will not work properly unless the surface is properly clean.

 

[johndeere]

So in summary... use Star San for all my sanitizing needs and use oxyclean free to clean all my plastic/vinyl supplies.

Do they sell Star San at Walmart or will I need to pick that up at my LHBS?


What does that iodofur (or whatever it's called) do or good for? I've seen alot of people using that as well.

 

[Wayne1]

You might want to look over this sticky: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/what-sanitisers-cleaners-used-43688/

StarSan and it's low foam cousin SaniClean are made by Five Star Chemicals. They should be available from your LHBS. If not they can be ordered online.

 

[jeffmeh]

So in summary... use Star San for all my sanitizing needs and use oxyclean free to clean all my plastic/vinyl supplies.

Do they sell Star San at Walmart or will I need to pick that up at my LHBS?


What does that iodofur (or whatever it's called) do or good for? I've seen alot of people using that as well.

Iodophore is an iodine-based sanitizer. Like StarSan, it works well, and is no-rinse. However, it will stain plastic, does contribute to taste and odor (but if you use the right concentration and drain, it should not be an issue), and does not last as long as StarSan once mixed. When mixed with distilled or RO water and sealed, StarSan can last months, and its efficacy can be tested with a simple pH strip. It also gets "eaten" by the yeast. StarSan and Iodophore are your best choices for sanitizers.

 

[iron_city_ap]

It might be a little overkill but here is what I do:
Fermenter: Wash with anti bacterial soap. Wash with a small amount of bleach. Sanitize with a commercial food grade sanitizer that I picked up from a bulk food supply store (like GFS). It gets rinsed out throughly after each of these cycles.

Bottles: Rinse out 3 times when I empty them, or the day after. The old thumb over the hole technique. I run them through the dishwasher set on 'sterilize'. Before bottling I sterilize the inside with a one step like star san.

Other Equipment: Rinsed well. Washed with anti bacterial soap. Soaked in the commercial grade sterilizer. Rinsed very well at the end/before use.

 

[Hang Glider]

Rinsing after sanitizing may defeat the purpose - unless your tap water is tested "clean" and contaminant free - a no-rinse sanitizer AFTER all the rinsing is probably the best way to go.